Livestock mosquito relief

[Meg Z]

The mosquitoes were bad enough in the summer, but now that it's cooled down a mite, they're out in droves! All my livestock are suffering. Normally, I try to limit chemicals, but I'm open to any ideas to protect goats, rabbits, chickens and geese. The goats and the rabbits are getting the worst of it, I think. the other two snack on the bugs :haha:

Meg

[kathy H]

Make a spray out of catnip, maybe buy tea bags of catnip if you can find it. Research has found that it repels them. I rub it on my skin when out at dusk and they stay away.

[AnnaS]

Pyrethium! For whatever reason, it gets lumped with the chemicals. It's actually the extract of painted daisy. Very effective, approved for use as an organic insecticide, safe enohg to use in a dairy parlor. Easy to find it too.

[gobug]

Mosquitos need still water to breed. Is such near you? They can also breed on wet land - soggy ground. There are a few products that are safe to use in or on the water. One contains bacillus thuringensis(sp) a natural mosquito destroying organism, not a processed chemical. It is sometime sold as a donut through garden supply. You can get the same stuff in a granular form and use a fertilizer spreader to put it on the wet grounds. These can be pricey. The other chemicals are for still water and form a single molecule thick layer over the water that smothers the larvae. Agnique is a brand name of one such product. It is harmless to the aquatic life and birds. There is also a propane powered device now sold at the big box hardware stores like home deport. They have a special attractant that is propelled by the device and draws into a trap. I guess they work well and might be worth the money if you don't have control over the breading sites.